On
November 1, Wisconsin became the 49th state to recognize the right of
its citizens to carry firearms. Now, only one state remains in the Dark
Ages -- that being the state of Illinois.

As
can be imagined, the anti-gun media is predicting that letting citizens
carry firearms will result in carnage in the streets, shootouts in bars,
and angry parents settling scores on the ball field with their firearms.

And
to supposedly prove their point, they cite a bogus report of the Violence
Policy Center (VPC) entitled “Concealed Carry Killers.”

The
faux report says that “since May 2007 at least 300 people -- including
11 law enforcement officers -- have been killed by private citizens
legally allowed to carry handguns in killings not ruled self-defense
….”

But
according to an analysis found on PajamasMedia.com, less than half of
the deaths which were attributed to concealed carry holders by the VPC
were actually “committed by a permit holder drawing and firing
his or her concealed weapon.”

Less
than half? Yes, that was the figure as of December, 2009. Sadly, VPC’s
reporting has not gotten any better in the following two years.

After
all, the VPC double counts victims or considers self-defense killings
as murder … uses non gun deaths (like strangulation) to inflate
“concealed carry” killings … and adds accidental killings
to its totals -- such as a case where an errant shot was fired at a
robber.

More
startlingly, VPC counts non-permit holders who, in some cases, were
even prohibited by law from carrying a firearm. A notable case on their
website is Jared Loughner, who shot Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle
Giffords -- injuring her and killing six people.

The
VPC claims that because of Arizona’s new law which allows law-abiding
citizens to carry concealed handguns without a permit, “Loughner
was able to legally carry his pistol to the Giffords event in his assassination
attempt.”

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But
what VPC misses is that this right applies only to law-abiding citizens.
Section 13-3102 of Arizona law specifically prohibits and disallows
the concealed carry of a handgun with the intent to commit a crime!
Jared Loughner was most certainly NOT able to legally carry his pistol
to commit the crimes he perpetrated in January, 2011, as the VPC claims.

The
VPC wants to focus on the few bad apples in the concealed carry community
and suggest that citizens can’t be trusted to carry firearms.
But using their own logic, they should be arguing for cop disarmament,
because they break the law far more often.

Gun
Owners of America recently posted Fact Sheet on its website comparing
crime rates between concealed carry permit holders and the police. As
compared to those who carry concealed, the average American is almost
8 times more likely to be convicted of crimes and over 40 times more
likely to be convicted of burglary -- and police officers are almost
800 times more likely to violate the law.

There
are an estimated six million citizens who possess a concealed carry
permit. The number of legal concealed carriers is probably higher, considering
the growing number of states that recognize the right of their citizens
to carry without a permit.

Press
reports indicate that concealed carry is at an all time high, even while
crime rates have been dropping in the U.S. over the past few years.
Yet, we’ve been hearing the Chicken Little cries of doom and gloom
as far back as the mid-1980s, when Florida kicked off the modern concealed
carry movement with the enactment of its “shall issue” law.

Prior
to its passage in 1987, there was a vigorous debate in the Florida legislature.
Opponents of the law claimed that a carry law would turn the Sunshine
State into the “Gunshine State.” It was a cute jingle, but
their dire predictions never materialized. Murder rates started dropping
immediately after the passage of the law, prompting one of the chief
opponents, Rep. Ron Silver, to admit that he had been wrong about concealed
carry.

Such
was the case in Texas, as well. One of the chief opponents in the Lone
Star State was Senior Cpl. Glenn White, who is president of the Dallas
Police Association. White lobbied against the law in 1993 and 1995 because
he thought it would lead to wholesale armed conflict.

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Senior
Cpl. White admits, though, “All the horror stories I thought would
come to pass didn't happen. No bogeyman. I think it's worked out well,
and that says good things about the citizens who have permits. I'm a
convert.”

It
takes guts to look at the evidence and admit you were mistaken. Kudos
to Rep. Silver and Senior Cpl. White for being “man enough”
to admit they were wrong.

Who
knows, maybe the VPC will own up and admit they were also wrong about
all the fear and paranoia they’ve peddled in their faux report.
But then again, don’t hold your breath.